Air-brake



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C. R. JAMES. AIR-BRAKE.

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Patented Feb. 24,1891.

(No Model.) '3 sheets-sheet 2.

` C. R. JAMES.

AIR BRAKE.

No.- 447,236. Patented Feb. 24, 1891.

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AIR BRAKE.

No; 447,236. Patented Feb. 24,1891.

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`.CHRISTOPHER R. JAMES, OFy JERSEY CITY, NEY JERSEY.

AIR-BRAKE.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 447,236, dated February24, 1891.

l Application iiled February I4. 1890. Serial No. 340,462. (No model.) i

To all whom it may concern:

Be 1t known that I, CHRISTOPHER R. JAMES,

a subject of the Queen of Great Britain, andl Brakes, of which thefollowing is a specifica' tion.

My invention consists of improvements in air-brake mechanism, having forits object to effect the application of the brakes of the rear cars ofthe train prior to or not later than the application of the brakes ofthe for-l ward cars.

In the accompanying drawings, Figure l represents a plan View of aninverted car and part of a locomotive, showing the application Fig. 2 isa larged scale. Fig. 3 is a detail showing the arrangement of the pipesand the engineers controlling-valve at the locomotive. a horizontalsection of the apparatus as arranged without the auxiliary reservoir,and

also without the .secondary valve for apply? ing the brakes when theair-supplying pipes I break.

The brake-actuating piston a in the cylinder b Ais subject to the actionof compressed air from the auxiliary reservoir c, and eX- haust throughport c, controlled by the operation of the piston-valve consisting oftwo heads of different sizes connected at a suitable distance apart by astem and` arranged in a case or cylinder bored in two different sizescorrespondingly, and hereinafter calledvalvef,theheadsbeingdesignatedaslarge and small, respectively. The smallhead of this valve opens communication between auX- iliaryreservoirc andbrake-cylinder b through ports cl' and e, and closes the exhaust fromthe brake-cylinder and the reverse, according as it is shifted from theposition in which -it is represented in Fig. 2 between said ports d c tothe right hand of port c and back again. The space or chamber betweenthe heads of said valve f is in constant communication with thereservoir c through port d. The normal action of the air in thesaidreservoir closes the communication between'the reservoir and thebrake-cylinder and keeps the exhaust-passage from the brakecylinder openEig. lis

through the overbalancing effect on the larger head of the valve f,which is soplaced as to maintain the small head between the portsd ande. The auxiliary reservoir cis in communication with the main reservoir7L on the locomotive, or it may be directly connected with thecompressing-pump by the pipe fi. I make such communication through thecham- -ber between the heads of valvef, as in Fig. 4, or through anotherpiston-valve consisting of similar larger and smaller heads coupled atasuitable distance apart by a stem in a correspondingly-bored case, andhereinafter called valve g, and arranged side by side with valve f. Thepipe i' is connected to the oase of this valve behind the large head, inwhich -there are passages p, through which the air enters to the spacebetween the two headsand thence into the space between the heads ofvalve f through the open passage between the said spaces of these twovalves. A disk q and spring 7.9 are provided to close these passages pin case pipe e' becomes disrupted, and there is a port s opening fromthe case of valve g into the space behind the large head z motive orwith the compressing-pump, if preferred, by the pipe j, subjecttotheengineers controlling-valve Z, so that compressed air is admittedthereto by the engineer to apply the brakes by overbalancing the airfrom the pipe 11 on said valve.

In operation the chamber between the large and the small heads of valvef, being always in communication with the main tank through pipe t, andthe pressure being allowed to escape from behind the large head of valvef through pipe j by the engineers valve, the overbalancing pressure onthe large head of valve f shifts said valve, so as to open thebrake-cylinder port to the exhaustand nor- IOO mally holds it in thatposition; and when the engineer admits compressed air through pipe y tothe chamber behind said largehead such it is thought that in the commonarrange ments, in which they are applied through the escape of the airfrom the engineers valve, it is the brakes of the forward cais that areapplied first, as before stated. This different action is supposed to bebecause in the eX- haust arrangement the pressure is first diminished atthe exhaust-cock l, and thencebackward gradually along thebrake-controlling valves of the cars, so that they act successively fromthe front backward, while the compressed air admitted into the exhaustedor partly exhausted pipe j must first flow back to the end and fill andback up, so to speak, in the pipe before pressure will rise in thebrake-controlling valve sufhcient to actuateihein. Itfollows,therefore,that the brakes ofthe rear cars must be first affected, or, if notfirst, certainly as soon as the others and so that the hind cars will beslowed before or as soon as the others, and thus be effectuallyprevented from colliding` with those in advance. a

Vhile it is preferred to employ the auxiliary reservoir c for thebenefit of a reserve of air in close proximity to the valve, it may ofcourse be dispensed with, as represented in Fig. 4, because the pipe t',connected with the valve, or as shown, will give good results, andparticularly in this arrangement for the release of the brakes by thenormal action of the air admitted to the valve from the tank or pipe eit is not so important to have a reserve, because it is not so necessaryfo have quick action for the release of the brakes as for theapplication of them.

The purpose of the connection of the airsupply pipe i through the valveg is to provide for the automatic application of the brakes when it mayhappen, through any accident, that the pipe i' may be broken, in whichcase, the air being exhausted from behind the large head of valve gthrough the broken pipe, the spring k instantly closes passages p by thedisk q, and the overbalancing pressure of the compressed air in thevalves on the larger head of valve g shifts said valve so as to openeominunica-tion through port s to the space behind the large head ofvalve f and equalize the pressure on said head and enable said valve tobe shifted by the confined air the same as when other air is admittedthrough pipe j, so as to admit air from the main reservoir to the.brake-piston, and thus apply the brakes, escape from behind piston-valvef, through pipe j, when broken, being prevented by the clieck-valve 0insaid pipe. The brake-piston is connected by. the levers n to therods m,that actuate the brake-levers; but this forms no part of what I claim inthis application.

I claiml. The combination, with the brake piston and cylinder, of thepiston-valve controlling the bi'akeeylinder port, the constantly-openmain compressed-air pipe connected to the case of said valve in thearrangement for opening and normally keeping the brakecylinder port opento the exhaust by the pressure of the main tank and for admittingconipressed air from the main tank to the brakecylinder to apply thebrakesvvhen said 'valve is reversed, and the pipe connecting saidvalve-case behind the large end of the valve with the main tank subjectto the engineer-s valve in the arrangement to overbalance the pressureon said valve through the main pipe and reverse the valve to open thebrake-cylinder to the compressed air from said main pipe by the airadmitted by the engineers valve through the pipe connected with thevalve-case behind said large vend of the valve, substantially asdescribed. A

2. The combination, with the valve c ontrolling the brake-cylinder portfor admitting the compressed air to apply the brakes and for exhaustingit to release the brakes, of the constantly-open pipe connecting thecase'of said valve between the heads thereof with the main tank, thepipe connecting said case behind the large head with the main tankthrough the engineers valve, said first-mentioned pipe admitting the airfor opening and keeping the brake-cylinder port open to the exhaust andadmitting air to the brake-cylinder to apply the brakes when the 4valveis reversed, and the other pipe admitting air to reverse the valve forso applying the brakes IOO TCS

when the engineers valve is opened, substantially as described.

3. The combination, with the brake piston and cylinder, of the valvecontrolling the brake-cylinder port, the main supply-pipe adinitting airto actuate said valve for normally exhausting the brake-cylinder and forfilling said cylinder when the valve is reversed, also anothersupply-pipe subject to the engineers controlling-valve and admittingoverpowering pressure to reverse said valve to open the brake-cylinderport and admit air from the main supply-pipe to apply the brakes, andalso the secondary `valve intermediate to the main supply-pipe and thesaid valve controlling the brake-cylinder port and automati callyadmitting overpowering pressure from the chambers of the two valvesbehind said valve controlling the brake-cylinder port to reverse it andapply the brakes when the supply through tlie main pipe fails.

4. The combination, with the brake piston and cylinder, of the valvecontrolling the brake-cylinder port, the main supply-pipe admitting airto actuate said valve Jfor normally exhausting the brake-cylinder andfor filling said cylinder when the valve is reversed, also anothersupply-,pipe subject tothe engi- IIO neers controlling-valve andadmitting opposin and overpowering pressure to reverse said valve andopen the brake-cylinder port to apply the brakes, also the secondaryvalve' intermediate to the main supply-pipe and the said valvecontrolling the brake-cylinder port and automatically admittingoverpowering pressure from the chambers of the two valves behind saidvalve controlling the brake-cylinder port. to reverse itand apply thebrakes when the supply through the main pipe fails, the inlet-passagesfor the air from the main pipe through the large head of the secondaryvalve, and the disk and spring for closing said passage when saidair-supply through the main pipe fails, said pipe connecting Wlth themain tank through t-he engineers valve, having a cheek-valve in closeproximity to the chamber of the valve controlling the brake-cylinderport.

In testimony that I olaim`the foregoing as my invention I have signed myname, in presence of two Witnesses, this 29th day of January, 1890.

CHRISTOPHER R. JAMES. Witnesses:

W. J. MORGAN, W. B. EDELL.

